Production of lace, net, or the like



Feb. 25, 1941. A. E. HUNTER 2,233,314

PRODUCTION 0F LACE, NET, OR THE LIKE Filed Feb. l2, 41940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Alt Aney A. E. HUNTER 2,233,314

NET, OR THE LIKE Filed Feb. l2, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor lerEHZUZ/tel;

Feb. 25, 1941.

PRODUCTION OF LACE,

Patented Feb. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES PRODUCTION OF LACE, NET, 0R THE LIKE Albert Edward Hunter, Wollaton, Nottingham, England, assignor to Byard Manufacturing Company, Limited, Nottingham, England Application February 12, 1940, Serial No. 318,583 In Great Britain December 15, 1938 4 Claims.

This invention comprises improvements in or relating to the production of lace, net or the like and has more particular reference to the production of hair-nets or the like.

In the manufacture of lace or similar fabric on a twist lace machine, it is usual to produce web across the full width of the machine, there being a number of breadths of web laced together with lacing threads, and the whole being wound either direct on to a work roller, or on to a porcupine roller and thence to a work roller; said work roller being put out of gear for the removal of the web therefrom after the required length has been produced.

When making hair-nets, the web is produced in a large number of comparatively small breadths, in some cases as many as 150 loreadths, each having elastic woven or threaded under tension along each side edge of each breadth; consequently, it will be appreciated that a large number of breadthsy With tensioned elastic so produced cannot be removed from the work roller in the same manner as a web of ordinary lace or net.

Heretofore it has been usual to transfer the several breadths of fabric for the hair-nets or the like toa roller outside the machine, the net breadths being removed from this roller by various methods and made up into suitable form for dyeing.

Broadly the present invention provides a Inachine for manufacturing hair-nets or the like in the form of a plurality of breadths, having at least one Winding-on memfber on to which the several breadths lare wound side by side,

characterised in that said member is so constructed or arranged as to permit of said breadths being readily and individually removed therefrom in a form suitable for dyeing.

The invention also includes in or for a machine for the manufacture of hair-nets or the like in a plurality of breadths, means, including at lea-st one member on which the fabric is accumulated during its manufacture, whereby the fabric may be made up into skeins on the machine itself.

According to a preferred arrangement the invention comprises a machine, e. g. a twist lace machine, for the manufacture of hair-nets or the f like, having `associated and operating therewith at least one skeleton reel or skein Winder, and means for winding the net on said reel during manufacture, which said reel is collapsible, or constructed so that the diameter or compass thereof can. beI reduced, so as toy permit of the ready removal of the material therefrom when the required length has been produced.

In order that the invention may be better understood, reference will now `be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a twist lace machine according to this invention, while Figure 2 is an4 elevation of vcertain parts thereof, looking in the direction of arrow 2 in Figure 1.

In the accompanying drawings the lace making mechanism of the machine is not illustrated in any detail, nor is it described herein, since it is of well understood Iform. It will sufce to say that the narrow widths of lace N (produced simultaneously, with tensioned elastic thread incorporated at the edges of each width, but preferably f without the draw threads or lacing threads that are sometimes worked-in to connect the edges of successive breadths of lace net in a plurality of simultaneously-produced breadths) pass upwards over the face of the guide bar !0 to the porcupine roller II. In the manufacture of breadths of hair-net as practised prio-r to this invention the net is Wound onto a roller which is indicated in dotted lines at l2 and rests upon the porcupine roller II. When this roller I2 is full it is customary to set up at the front of the machine a small diameter rod in substantially the position indicated in dotted lines at I3. This rod extends for half the length of the machine. The ends of the hair-net which, in that half length, are wound upon the roller I2, are then taken by hand from said roller and are attached to the rod I3 which is thereafter rotated byk means of a crank handle to Wind the nets on to it. When. all the fabric has thus been transferred the rod is removed from the machine and is hung up in any con- Venient place and the fabric is pulled off it by hand. The consequent lbundle of net fabric is sorted out by hand and each length is coiled or wound onto a loose ning-like coil to form a skein, the ends being tied for safety.

According to the present invention, instead of the various lengths of net being wound side by side on to a roller, such as I2, they are conducted downwards at the back of the porcupine roller II, preferably over a small guide roller or rod I4 situated at a lower level than said porcupine roller II and a suitable distance rearwardly thereof, the disposition of this guide roller or rod I4 being such as t-o enable the nets to clear the moving parts ofv the machine. From this guide roller or rod III'` thenets are thenl passedv yduring the production of the net the various beneath a roller I5 covered With thick cloth, felt, rubber or other suitable material, which may conveniently be located under the back rail I6 of cloth-covered roller, then beneath same and upwardly in a rearward direction. By driving the cloth-covered or like roller at a greater speed than the porcupine roller, the nets are kept taut and clear themselves from the said porcupine roller; said cloth-covered or like roller acting in the manner of a brush.

Conveniently spacing points |541l are provided cooperating with the roller I5, for keeping the edges of the lengths separate.

Situated at the back of the machine and advantageously above the level of the back rail I6, there is at least one skeleton reel indicated .generally by the numeral I8. This skeleton reel is collapsible in that its diameter or compass may be reduced after the net has been Wound on toit so that the lengths of net may then be readily removed as separate loose skeins. There may be one such reel or skein Winder extending for the whole length ofthe machine, but preferably there is a plurality thereof located end to end. In the illustrated construction there are two of I. them as is clearly shown in Fig. 2. These winders are rotated by means of a clawker I9 which is mounted on an oscillating arm 20, the said arm being oscillated by a connecting rod 2|, lever 22 and a cam 23. The connections are such that the stroke of the clawker I9 is adjustable. The said clawker I9 co-operates with a ratchet Wheel 24, and a locking clawker 25 (co-operating with a ratchet Wheel 25a) is also provided to prevent reversal of the motion o-f the Winders I8. The said ratchet Wheel 24 is arranged to drive the skein winders I8 through a frictional coupling of any suitable form.

It will be seen that each skein reel or Winder I8 consists of a number of longitudinally extending bars 26 mounted on radial spokes 21. At least one bar, indicated at 26, has its spokes 21 pivotally mounted so that after the lengths of net have been wound on to the skeleton reel the said bar 26 may be swung towards one of the adjacent bars and the compass of the reel thereby reduced, permitting the lengths of net to be removed from the reel one by `one after they have been tied.

Preferably one of the bars 26 adjacent to the bar 26' is provided with spacing points 28 so that lengths thereof are maintained separate.

The manner in Which the skeleton reels I8 are removably mounted in the machine -is also shown in Fig. 2` The ratchet Wheel 24 drives a socket member 29 through a frictional coupling (not shown) which is conveniently adjustable by means of nuts indicated at 30. 'Ihis mechanism is permanently journalled in the machine frame. The socket member 29 has' an laxial socket for the reception of the shaft l3| of one of the skele` ton reels, Which shaft when in position is arranged to be driven from the socket by means of `a pin 32 which is received in a slot in said socket .member. This arrangement therefore provides a readily-separable coupling, one portion 29 of which is left in situ in the machine When the reel I8 is removed. .At its other end the shaft 3| is removably supported in a split bearing 33 having a readily removable bearing cap 33. At said end the shaft 3| is also provided with one member 34a. of a dog coupling whereby the shaft 3| may be connected to ashaft 3| of the next collapsible reel. This shaft 3| is provided with the other member 34b of the dog coupling and at its ends `is supported in split bearings 35, 36, the respective caps 35' and 36 of which are readily removable.

It will therefore be appreciated that each of the collapsible reels may be readily removed from and returned to its operative position in the machine. Each reel is conveniently collapsed after it has-been removed Ifrom the machine, so that after said removal and collapse the lengths of net may be removed therefrom one by one in the form of skeins, ready for dyeing. Desirably, before removal, each length of net is tied to .prevent it becoming unwound.

As has already been stated, the speed of rota-` tion of the roller I5 is in excess of that of the porcupine roller I I and the stroke of the clawker 9 is adjustable. These two features are of con-v siderable importance in the carrying out of the invention.

It is essential that the nets be manufactured WithV the elastic in a stretched condition; that is, that the elastic be fed to the points of the machine under tension. By virtue of the fact that the speed `of the roller I5 isin excess of that of the porcupine II, one ensures that the tension of the elastic is maintained and that the hairnets pass from the porcupine to the roller I5 with the elastic threads in a tensioned condition. It is, however, essential that they should be wound on to the reel or skein Winder in a substantially relaxed condition and it is for this reason that the stroke of the clawker I9 is made adjustable. The stroke will be varied according to circumstances lto ensure that the elastic threads of the hairnets, afterv passing the roller I5, relax and the hairnets are'vvound on to the reel in the relaxed condition.

I claim:

1. In a machine for the simultaneous production of a plurality of strips of lace, net orA like fabric having elastic threads incorporated therein, said machine including a porcupine roll driven at a predetermined 4speed about which the finished strips pass, the combination of a second roll about which the strips are trained upon leaving said porcupine roll; means for driving said second roll at a higher peripheral speed than that of said porcupine roll; and a reel for receiving the fabric strips from said second roll.

2. In a machine for the simultaneous production of a plurality of strips of lace, net or like fabric having elastic threads incorporated therein, said machine including a porcupine roll driven at a predetermined speed about which the finished strips pass, fthe combination of a second roll having a friction covering about Which the strips are trained upon leaving said porcupine roll; means for driving Vsaid second roll at a higher peripheral speed than that of said porcupine roll, whereby the elastic threads may be tensioned between the tWo rolls; and -a skeining reel for receiving the fabric strips from said second roll.

3. In a machine for the simultaneous production of a plurality of strips of lace, net, or like fabric having elastic threads incorporated along the edges thereof, said machine including a porcupine roll driven at a predetermined speed about which the finished strips pass, the combination of a second roll having a friction covering about which the strips are ltrained upon leaving said porcupine roll; means for driving said second roll ata peripheral speed higher than that of said porcupine roll, whereby the elastic threads may be tensioned between the two rolls; a skeining reel for receiving the fabric strips from said seco-nd roll; means for driving said reel; and means for controlling the speed of said reel whereby the tension on said elastic threads may be relieved.

4. A machine according to claim 3, in which the means for driving the skeining reel includes a ratchet wheel and arclawker, and the means for controlling the speed of the reel comprise means for adjusting the throw of the clawker.

ALBERT EDWARD 

